Guest Post: Michelle From The True Book Addict: William Wallace and Braveheart?

My first guest poster this month is Michelle, from The True Book Addict (which just celebrated its 4th birthday). She is an extremely organized blogger with illuminating thoughts on all genres, exhibited with this extremely educational and interesting write-up on William Wallace.

I blog primarily at The True Book Addict which is a book blog that focuses mostly on historical fiction (with some classics, literary fiction, etc. thrown in). My love for historical fiction stems from my great passion for history. A little over a year ago, I decided to share that passion by launching a history blog, a blog which I have been somewhat lax in posting to, but hope to remedy that reality soon. My history blog, A Brave Heart, was inspired by the film, Braveheart, which depicted the life of the legendary Scottish hero, William Wallace. Historical purists get their feathers all a-ruffle because of the film’s historical inaccuracies and, after reading up on the subject myself, I have to admit that the film did take many liberties. However, one cannot disagree that it was a well-made and beautifully acted film which garnered an Academy Award for best picture and director (1995) and was on the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Most Inspiring Films of All Time (#62), 100 Most Thrilling American Films (#91), and has been one of the 400 nominees for the AFI’s top 100 films list. The film remains my number one favorite of all time and I can’t see that changing anytime soon.

Now I’d like to talk about the real William Wallace. What I discovered in my personal reading (William Wallace: Brave Heart by James MacKay) on William Wallace was that he was in fact quite a tall man for the time period (not the average height of Mel Gibson), that he did have a wife that was murdered, although it did not happen the way it did in the film, and that he was an excellent battle strategist and did indeed fashion the long pikes from trees that were used so efficiently in the film’s depiction of the Battle of Stirling. In further reading online, I have learned more, but many of the sites I’ve visited do admit that the line between legend and fact is somewhat blurred. The reality is that there really is not much in the historical record about Wallace. What is written about him is either accounts written by the English which I’m sure are biased toward the English point of view. And then we have the account by the bard, Blind Harry, which was composed some 200 years after Wallace’s death. How accurate can that be really? So here I will share with you some bare bone facts (source: williamwallace.com) that are generally believed to be true regarding Wallace’s life.

Wallace was born around 1270 AD. The exact location has been under dispute in recent years. Some site Elderslie in Ayrshire, while others say Ellerslie in Renfrewshire. Both places are located in southwest Scotland.

There is an historical account of Wallace having killed the Sheriff of Lanark in 1297. This occurrence is generally sited as the beginning of his ‘guerrilla’ campaign against the English, who were occupying Scotland. That same year the Scottish were to be victorious at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The English temporarily lost power in Scotland. In 1298, Wallace was appointed the Guardian of Scotland, but would later resign after the Battle of Falkirk.

After his resignation in 1299, travelled on diplomatic missions in continental Europe and attempted to garner support from France against the English. Upon his return to Scotland in 1301, he would continue to fight the English king Edward I (Longshanks).

In 1305, he was betrayed by Sir John Monteith and captured by the English. He was sent to London, where he was executed most gruesomely (this part the film got right) by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. His head was placed on a pike above London Bridge and the rest of his body parts were sent to and exposed at Newcastle, Berwick, Perth, and Aberdeen. Upon his death, he became a martyr for Scotland’s independence.

When Wallace was accused of treason, this is said to have been his reply:

“I can not be a traitor, for I owe him no allegiance. He is not my Sovereign; he never received my homage; and whilst life is in this persecuted body, he never shall receive it. To the other points whereof I am accused, I freely confess them all. As Governor of my country I have been an enemy to its enemies; I have slain the English; I have mortally opposed the English King; I have stormed and taken the towns and castles which he unjustly claimed as his own. If I or my soldiers have plundered or done injury to the houses or ministers of religion, I repent me of my sin; but it is not of Edward of England I shall ask pardon.”

Whether we choose to believe in the accuracy or inaccuracy of the film, Braveheart, the fact remains that the film fulfilled one important aspect in the depiction of a historical figure…it inspired an interest in that historic persona and the time period. If fictional historical depictions do that one thing right, then I really can see no reason to find fault. I credit many films for inspiring my lifelong passion for history. Watching the film, Excalibur, when I was but a preteen sparked an endless fascination and interest in the real King Arthur. Gone with the Wind and Roots made me want to know more about slavery and the Civil War. In more recent years, films such as Braveheart and Rob Roy have provoked an avid interest in Scottish history. And the film Elizabeth and its sequel added to my interest and major admiration for Queen Elizabeth I. And let’s not forget The Tudors and The Borgias, both excellent premium cable series that also present rather skewed historical accounts, but still instill that desire to further investigate the subjects being depicted. To have inspired a lay person to become a scholar of history is a feat that not many textbooks have achieved. You may agree or disagree with me on the subject, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

It is such a great movie! It was actually pretty amazing that it won the Oscar because it came out way back in the summer, almost 9 months before the Oscar noms were announced. I saw it that summer when it first came out and I remember saying to my husband (boyfriend at the time) that it would get nominated. I was right…and it won! Just shows what a truly excellent movie it is.

An excellent guest post! There's one more work of fiction I would add to your list. It was written by a schoolteacher named Jane Porter and published in 1809 over in Britain. The title is "The Scottish Chiefs" and it is one of my favourite novels of all time. Long, very Romanticized, and very, very wonderful. 🙂